Forum held to boost media cooperation among China, Central Asian countries

BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- A forum on strengthening collaboration among media outlets in China and Central Asian countries was held in Beijing on Tuesday.

The China-Central Asia News Agency Forum, themed on "boosting media cooperation to promote the building of a China-Central Asia community with a shared future," was one of the achievements of the recently concluded China-Central Asia Summit.

The forum was initiated and hosted by China's Xinhua News Agency and attended by heads and representatives of media outlets from five Central Asian countries, namely, the Television and Radio Complex of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kabar News Agency of Kyrgyzstan, Khovar News Agency of Tajikistan, Media Turkmen News Agency and Uzbekistan National News Agency.

Fu Hua, president of Xinhua News Agency, presided over the forum and delivered a speech. He said that the relations between China and Central Asian countries are marching toward a new era, which presents new opportunities for media cooperation among the six countries.

Fu said that Xinhua News Agency is ready to work with media outlets in Central Asian countries to shoulder the missions of the era, fulfill the responsibilities of media, promote communication and exchanges, and break new ground through innovation.

He also called for collective efforts to promote world peace, better tell stories about regional cooperation, boost exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations and push forward practical cooperation in the field of media, in a bid to contribute more to the building of a China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

During the forum, a consensus was reached among media outlets in China and the five Central Asian countries to strengthen and expand cooperation further, aiming to elevate its scope and explore additional avenues of collaboration.

The media outlets from China and Central Asian countries have unique advantages in enhancing mutual understanding and trust among the peoples, promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and aiding the building of the China-Central Asia community with a shared future, according to the consensus.

Media outlets in China and Central Asian countries should gather strength and work in coordination to enable emerging markets and developing countries to have a greater voice and to foster international fairness and justice, says the consensus.

It was also agreed that, under multilateral mechanisms such as the World Media Summit and the Belt and Road Studies Network, the media outlets would actively support and participate in various activities under these mechanisms and facilitate their development.

During the forum, both a Russian version and a video rendition of a report on Xi Jinping's economic thought were released for audiences from Central Asian countries.

Media institutions from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan signed up for the Belt and Road Economic Information Partnership during the forum, bringing the total number of members of the network to 53. Kyrgyzstan's Kabar News Agency is a founding member of the network.